{is it autumn yet?}


Although the calendar has been turned over to March, here in Sydney it still feels like summer. Why then did the weather not change overnight from Summer on February 28 to Autumn on March 1? Did Autumn not receive the memo about change of dress code?

Well, I've found out it's got more to do with the moon than with a failed email... Technically speaking it's not really Autumn until the March equinox, which incidentally occurs this year on March 20 at exactly 10:21am! What this means is, at this specific time the centre of the Sun is in the same plane as the Earth's equator. Therefore the sun will rise due east, set due west and we will have 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. Hence the name, derived from the Latin aequus=equal and nox=night. This is only strictly true however if you are located on the equator, elsewhere it is only approximate. Nevertheless it marks an important occassion on the calendar as the we officially begin Autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere begins its Spring.

And just in case your New Year resolutions didn't make it past January let alone February, don't fear, according to the astronomical Persian calendar New Year's day occurs when the March equinox occurs before noon sundial time in Tehran, or the next day if the equinox falls in the afternoon.

So here's to another chance of committing to our New Year resolutions and hopefully some nice cool Autumn weather!

Photo via here

1 comment:

  1. I ask myself the same question! One min its hot and stinky the next rainy and windy. Im so over summer.... Its been a horrible season with no stability in terms of the weather. Bring on autumn and lets hope it stays nice and cool as it should!

    x christie

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